What is BDS?

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.

Prof. Haidar Eid, a PACBI Steering Committee member who teaches literature in Gaza, said: “This statistical tie, with a negligible difference of 0.8%, exposes Israel’s weakness in combatting the BDS movement. All of Israel’s intimidation, smearing, and well-oiled lobbying could hardly blunt the rising tide of support for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality.”

“At a time when New York Governor Cuomo is passing anti-democratic, McCarthyite executive orders to ban boycotts of Israel, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, is making pronouncements against the movement, the high support for the academic boycott of Israel at the AAA shows that supporters of Palestinian rights are not deterred and no longer afraid to speak out publicly. The tide is clearly turning.”

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was launched in 2005 by the overwhelming majority in Palestinian society to build grassroots pressure on the Israeli government until it complies with with its obligations under international law, by ending its occupation, apartheid and denial of Palestinian refugee rights.The BDS movement is rooted in a long heritage of Palestinian popular resistance and inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement and the US Civil Rights movement. Despite numerous efforts to silence Palestinian rights advocates, Americans are growing more aware of Israel’s human rights abuses, and the BDS movement is gaining support in the United States.

At the latest AAA conference, 88% voted for the boycott of Israeli academics institutions over their “complicity in planning, implementing, justifying and whitewashing Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid,” as PACBI commented at the time.

Prof. Samia Botmeh, a PACBI Steering Committee member who teaches economics at Birzeit University, commented: “PACBI wishes to acknowledge, with gratitude, the determined efforts of all the academics who diligently and strategically worked on and endorsed this resolution in this prevailing climate of intimidation, both in the US academy and by branches of the US government. They have paved the way for a discussion on Israel’s violations of international law and have exposed the taboo surrounding criticism of Israel.”

“The AAA results are rejuvenating and are cause for all BDS supporters to redouble efforts as we see the rising support for Palestinian rights.”

The BDS movement was launched in 2005 by the overwhelming majority in Palestinian society to isolate Israel’s regime of oppression in order to bring about its compliance with its obligations under international law, by ending its occupation, apartheid and denial of Palestinian refugee rights.

Rooted in a long heritage of Palestinian popular resistance and inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement and the US Civil Rights movement, BDS calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel in all fields.

PACBI, the part of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) tasked with overseeing the academic and cultural boycott aspects of BDS, has since 2004 advocated for a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions.

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This website is maintained by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the coalition of Palestinian organisations that leads and supports the BDS movement and by the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a BNC member organisation.